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Physical Education and sport in ancient Greece

Physical Education as well as sport experienced a golden age in ancient Greece.the Greek strove for physical perfection and this objective affected all phases of their life. It had its influence on the political and educational systems, on sculpturing and painting, and in the thinking anď writings of that day. It was a unifying force of Greek life, played a major part in the national festivals, and helped in building strong military establishments.no country in history has held physical education or sports in such high respect as did ancient greece. Evidences exists of physical education and sport activities being popular in cretan culture as early as 2500 bc. Archeological investigation at mycenea and other centers of aegean civilization have unhearthed buildings, pottery and other artifacts that point the important place of physical education and sport in this ancient cultures. literarure such as homer's lliad and odyssey also is a source of this information. Lion hunting, deer hunting, bull grapping, boxing, wrestling, dancing, and swimming are commonly reffered to by historians who have written about this ancient civilization. Physical education was a vital part of the education of every greek boy. Gymnastics and music were considerd the two most important subjects. Music for the spirit, and gymnastics for the body. "exercise for the body and music for the soul" was a common pronouncement. Gymnastics, it was believe, contributed to courage, discipline and physical  well being. Furthermore, gymnastics stressed a sense of fair play, developement of the individuals aesthetic values, amateurism, and the utilitarian values inherent in the activity. Professionalism was frowned on. Individuals ran, wrestled, jumped, dance e or threw the javelin not for reward but fot what it would do for their bodies. Beauty of physique was stressed, and boys and men participatedbin the rude, which motivated development of the body beautiful. Because of the topography of the land and for various political reasons, greece was composed of several city state, each existing its own sovereignty and existing as a separate entity. It waged war conducted all its affairs separately from the other city states. This situation had an influence not only on the political aspects of each city state but also on the objectives of physical education and sports within each state. Sparta and athens exemplify two such city states. In sparta, a city state in the peloponnesus district of greece. The main objectives of physical education and sport was to contribute to a strong and powerful army. The individual in sparta existed for the state. Each person was sibservient to the state and was required to help defend it againts aĺl enemies. Women as well as men were required to be in good physical condition. It was believed that healthy and strong mother would bear healthy and strong sons. Sparta women may have begun their physical conditioning as early as 7 years of age and continued gymnastic in public until they were married. New born infants, if found to be defective or weak, were left on mount taygetus to die. ThoMas woody, an educational historian, points out that mothers bathe babies in wine to test their bodies and to temper them for future ordeals. A boy was allowed to stay at home only for the six years of his life. After this he was required to stay in barracks and entered the agoge,a system of public, compulsory training, in which he underwent an extremely vigorous and rigid training schedule. If he failed in this ordeal, he was deprived of all future honor. A major pary of this training consisted of physical activities such as wrestling, jumping, running,throwing,,the jovelin and discus, matching,horse back riding, and hunting.this spartan conditioning program secured a strong army that was second to none. Athens, a city state in eastern greece, was the antithesis of sparta. Here the democratic  way of life,  flourished, and consequently it has a great bearinng on the objectives of physical education and sport. Athens did not control and regulate the individuals life as rigudly as sparta,. In athens the peopke enjoyed the freedom that is characteristic if a truly democratric government. Although the military emphasis was not as strong in athens as n sparta. the emphasis on physical education and sport waw just as greater or greater. Athenians engaged in physical acticity to developed their bodies, fir aesthetic values and to live a fuller and more vigorous life.an ideal of athens in education was to achieve a proper balance in moral, mental, physical, and aesthetic development. To the hellenes, each person was a whole and was onlt as strong as his or her weakest part. Gymnastics for the youth were practiced in the palaestra, a building that provided rooms foe vaeious physical activities, for oiling and sanding their bodies, and an open space for activities such aw jumping and wrestling. Some of the more noted palaeatra were those of taureas,timeas and siburtios. The paidotribe, or proprietor of the palaestra, was similar to a present day physical educator. he taught many activities, understood how certain exercise shoukd be adopted to various physical conditions, knew how to  develop strength and endurance, and d was an individual who could be trusted with children in  the important task of making youthful bodies served their minds. As approached manhood, he left the palaestra and attended the gymnasium. Gymnasium became the physical,social and d intellectual centers of greece. Although the first used waa for physical activity, men such plato, aristotle, and antisthenes were responsible for making gymnasium such aa the academy, lyceum, knight had the opportunity to display his personal bravery,skills,powers,strenght,and courage.